Category: The Islamic State

NOTE: For prior parts in The Archivist series you can view an archive of it all here. And for his older series see: Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad.
 
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Unseen Islamic State Fatwas on Jihad and Sabaya 
By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Islamic State [IS] fatwas are the product of the Diwan al-Eftaa’ wa al-Buhuth (Fatwa Issuing and Investigation Department), which is also responsible for the production of Islamic State training camp textbooks such as the basic Muqarrar fi al-Tawhid (“Course in Tawheed”). The Diwan al-Eftaa’ wa al-Buhuth was founded following the declaration of the Caliphate and is illustrative of the wider trend of more complex IS government organization since the Caliphate declaration embodied in the diwans, ostensibly functioning as a conventional central government with provincial and local branches of administration departments.

The main centre for the Diwan al-Eftaa’ wa al-Buhuth is the de facto IS Syrian capital of Raqqa. This should not be surprising considering the leading role in this diwan played by Bahraini cleric Turki Binali, who most recently appeared in public IS propaganda at Eid al-Fitr prayers in the al-Nur mosque in Raqqa. At the diwan’s centre in Raqqa, new fatwas are devised, printed and distributed, with distributions also occurring in the de facto IS Iraqi capital of Mosul.

The fatwas presented below- previously unseen- come from the latest printing of 50 IS fatwas. The numbering of these fatwas should therefore not be confused with earlier fatwas collected by me and Cole Bunzel, which are now much harder to come by even within IS territory. Indeed, the fatwas differ from other IS publications such as the pamphlets of the Diwan al-Da’wa wa al-Masajid in that the latter are intended for distribution to the masses through local offices, ‘media points’ and the like.

In contrast, the fatwas- particularly pertaining to the conduct of war- are most relevant for those formally affiliated with the ranks of IS. As Bunzel notes, prior to the 32 fatwas uploaded by a low profile IS account that called itself Abu Umar al-Masri, the only publicly known fatwa was the one justifying the burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muadh al-Kasesbeh that circulated alongside the release of the video, widely circulated and intended to illustrate the principle of mumathala (retaliation in the literal sense of an ‘eye for an eye’). Besides these documents, I know of only two other fatwas that came to public light at random: one on whether one could eat meats imported from Turkey, and another on whether one could shorten prayer or break the fast in Ramadan while making hijra to Dar al-Islam (Specimens 3K and 3L in my main archive of documents).

Below is each fatwa presented and translated, with notes where applicable.

Specimen A: Purpose of Jihad


al-Buhuth and al-Eftaa’ Committee
Wilayat al-Raqqa
al-Eftaa’ Centre

Jihad and its rulings
No. 11

Q: What is the goal of jihad and why do we wage jihad?

A: The principle aim of jihad is to make people worship God alone, and move people away from servitude to men towards servitude to the Lord of men. God Almighty has said: “And fight them until there is no more fitna and religion is for God, and if they cease, there is no enmity except upon the wrongdoers” [Qur’an 2:193].

And Ibn Jubayr said: “So fight them until there is no shirk, and only God alone is worshipped with no partner for Him, and thus affliction is removed from the servants of God from the Earth (i.e. fitna) and religion is wholly for God, and obedience and servitude will be wholly pure without any besides Him.”

The Almighty has ordered to fight the kuffar until there is no more fitna- i.e. shirk- and religion is for God- i.e. it is the religion of God, prevailing over the other religions. And SAWS said: “I was sent before the Hour with the sword so that God alone should be worshipped, with no partner for Him.

– Repulsing the aggressors against the Muslims.
– Removing fitna from the people.
– And the fitna is of multiple types:

– First: what the disbelievers deal in regarding forms of torture and stranglehold on the Muslims so that they apostasise from their religion.

– Second: fitna of the disbelievers themselves and their refusal to listen to and accept the truth.

– Protecting the Islamic State from the evil of the disbelievers.
– Terrorising the disbelievers, subjugating them and humiliating them.
– Exposing the munafiqeen [hypocrites] and testing the believers regarding their sins.


Specimen B: Imam’s Permission to Wage Jihad


al-Buhuth and al-Eftaa’ Committee
Wilayat al-Raqqa
al-Eftaa’ Centre

Jihad and its rulings
No. 12

Q: Is the Imam’s permission required for jihad in the path of God?

A: Ibn Qudama, may God have mercy on him, said: “And the order for jihad is entrusted to the Imam and his reasoning, so one must be sure to obey him